The present invention deals with a table game management system. More particularly, the present invention deals with a system for receiving and correlating data indicative of the operations of a gaming table.
A conventional casino has a number of gaming tables distributed therethrough. The tables are typically arranged in groups, each group being managed from a management area referred to as a pit. The manager of the pit is referred to as a pit boss or pit manager. The pit manager supervises a number of floor managers, each of whom is in charge of supervising a number of tables in the pit.
Each casino gaming table generally includes a table top where a dealer deals cards, and where patrons place bets and play the card games associated with the table. The table top also typically includes a chip tray which is located in front of the dealer and holds chips of various denominations. Gaming tables also include a lock box which is securely fastened to the underside of the table and which is locked in place with a key. The lock box has an opening at its upper end which is aligned with an opening in the table top. A lock box paddle extends down through the opening in the table top into the lock box. When a patron wishes to obtain a desired number of chips to begin playing the game, or to continue playing the game, the patron hands bills of various denominations to the dealer. The bills are taken by the dealer and pushed into the lock box, through the slot in the table top, using the paddle. In return, the dealer provides the player with a number of chips equal to the denomination value of the money which the dealer places in the lock box.
In order to determine whether the table has made or lost money for the casino, a manager must determine the amount of money which has been dropped, as well as the change in chip inventory in the chip tray. The difference between the chip inventory at the beginning and the end of a shift, as well as the inventory in the lock box at the beginning and end of the shift, determines whether the table has made or lost money during that shift.
Also, it is widely held that the amount of money which is dropped is quite directly related to the abilities of the dealer. In other words, if the dealer is friendly and talented, he or she is more likely to attract more players, and hence more money, to the table than would otherwise be the case.
Numerous security issues surround the casino atmosphere. A security station is manned by security personnel and is typically remote from the pit area and from the gaming tables. Therefore, when a pit manager determines that a security person is desired (e.g., when it is time to replenish chip inventory at one of the gaming tables in the pit area) the pit manager must send a message to the security station, and also to a vault and cashier area to prepare the "fill". A member of the casino security escorts a chip carrier containing chips to fill the chip tray. This is a cumbersome and time consuming process. Of course, the longer that any given table is unable to play because it is waiting for a chip fill, the more money is lost by the casino.
Other security issues are also present. For example, if a dealer suspects that one or more members at his or her table are cheating (e.g., capping bets or team playing), there is currently no way for the dealer to alert the security station to keep an eye on such suspected players, other than by disrupting the game and physically sending a message to the security station. Further, if the security station observes (such as through security cameras) that a player is suspected of cheating, there is currently no way for the security team to send a message to the dealer, other than by physically contacting the dealer.
In addition, current report generation systems are very cumbersome and time consuming. For instance, it typically takes 12 to 36 hours to generate reports as to how successful any given table has been. This is because, at the end of each playing session, each table must be closed out by providing an ending chip inventory and an ending lock box inventory. The lock box inventory is counted by a count room which is remote from the pit areas. The people in the count room also take into account the beginning and ending chip inventories in the chip tray, the number of fills made to the chip tray, and the amount of cash previously removed from the table by replacing the lock box. After tabulating all of these numbers, the count room personnel can determine whether each table has made or lost money and the amount of money which has been made or lost. The count room can also correlate that information with the remaining tables in that pit area, and generate reports, on a casino wide basis, on a pit wide basis or on a table-by-table basis, which can then be used by managers in making management decisions. However, this is an extremely time consuming and labor intensive process because of its current manual nature.
Further, since dealers at each table are rotated often during each day of gaming activity, it is very difficult to obtain a beginning and ending chip inventory for each dealer's shift on a given table. In fact, this is currently not being done because it would require the pit manager to attempt to observe the inventory in the chip tray as a new dealer approaches the table. This would require visually observing the chip tray and estimating the denomination value of all chips in the tray. This is so difficult and inaccurate using prior systems that it is simply not done.
Also, in order to gauge the performance of a dealer or table, one must determine the amount of cash dropped either during the particular dealer's shift or during a shift for the table. This is currently being done by each dealer calling out the denomination to be dropped into the lock box just prior to dropping that denomination and waiting for a verbal acknowledgement from the floor manager. The floor manager then typically marks this amount down on a pad of paper and, at the end of each shift, does a very quick and very rough estimate of the amount of cash dropped. The floor manager must do this in addition to observing the beginning and ending chip inventories in the chip tray for each dealer or for each shift. Of course, this system is very inaccurate and time consuming, and it is not even done for each dealer, but only for each table.
Additionally, the lock boxes are periodically removed from the tables and replaced with empty lock boxes. The full lock boxes are taken to a remote count room where the money contained therein is counted to obtain a "soft count." Other than the rough estimates made in the pit, there is currently no way to verify the soft count. This, of course, poses security concerns.
The prior system also makes it very difficult to determine whether a dealer is cheating. For example, most games played at a gaming table are structured with odds such that the casino will, over a period of time, collect a percentage of the amount bet at the table. If the dealer is cheating, this percentage will be lower, or could be zero or negative. However, any dealer can have any given shift, or number of shifts, where this percentage is lower than expected, or negative. Therefore, in order to determine whether a dealer is cheating, one must have a very accurate tally as to whether the table makes or loses money during that dealer's shifts, over a long period of time. Given the inaccuracies in the present estimations as to whether the table makes or loses money during a dealer's shift, this is currently very difficult to determine and is not typically done on a dealer-by-dealer basis.
It is also desirable to track the performance of certain players who play on a non-cash basis. For example, certain players are provided with a credit amount from the casino and can play at the gaming tables using markers. However, the credit amount can be raised, lowered, or completely discontinued, by the casino at any time for any given player. It is currently a difficult and time consuming process for a floor manager to determine whether a player has credit with the casino, and the amount of that credit. Also, since reports can only be generated after a delay of 12 to 36 hours, the casino may not have enough up to date information to determine whether a player's credit should be discontinued. This allows the player to use substantial additional credit from the casino when the casino would not otherwise extend such credit. Therefore, the inability to track the performance of ceratin players on a real time basis is problematic.
Another reason why player tracking is desirable is for rating players. If a player bets a sufficient amount at a casino (regardless of win/loss), casinos often wish to provide certain complimentary items to that player. This is because the odds favor the casino so that if a player bets enough money over a long period of time, that player is likely to be a good customer of the casino. In turn, the casino may wish, for marketing purposes, to return some percent of the bets to the player in the form of complimentary points or dollars which can be spent at the casino. It is currently very difficult for a casino to track players' activity (such as buy-ins, average bets, and time spent playing) sufficiently to establish such ratings. Tracking this activity is currently very time consuming.